October 03, 2009

Work is worship is the motto of Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra's life and to motivate and inspire the people to achieve greater heights in their lives by honest means is a very important part of his duty.

He was recently invited as a Chief Guest at the Pushpa Gujaral Science City (PGSC), Kapurthala, Punjab, India, to deliver a special lecture on 'Antarctica - My Experiences' on the occasion of the World Earth Day celebrations on 22nd April 2009 there, which was highly appreciated by everyone. This lecture's related news can be referred to online as well as his short bio-data with Google search from the internet under the heading "Paramjit Singh Sehra" as Hero of Antarctica and the founder of the Indian Antarctic Programme, etc.

He has earned a unique historical distinction of being the first ever Indian to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent. He has worked in all the seven continents of the world including the hottest place at El-Zizia (58 degrees Centigrade temperature) in Libya and the coldest place at Vostok (-89.3 degrees Centigrade temperature) in Antarctica, and also as a Consultant in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the USA, and as an Expert in the United Nations Organization (UNO), etc., and yet he remains very simple, modest, honest, sincere, and down to earth.

Professor P. R. Pisharoty under whose guidance he has done his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics often used to say that he has one very important person as a reserve force with him, viz., his own student Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra, who can do anything in the world which others cannot do, by citing his example as the only person who volunteered to go to the harshest continent 'Antarctica' when no other Indian was willing to go there as it involved great dangers and risks to life, which made him a hero and also the founder of the Indian Antarctic Programme, etc., although he got no monetary benefit for his daring Antarctic feat.

Some more details about him are available from the internet with Google search under the headings "Parmjit Singh Sehra", "Paramjit Singh Sehra", "P. S. Sehra", and "Parmjit Singh Sehra & Antarctica", etc.

His name has recently appeared in the 'Encyclopedia of the Antarctic' on its page 529 and 'Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia' as the first ever Indian to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent, which can be referred to online under the heading "Paramjit Singh Sehra" with some cross references through its search window for all results under the heading "Parmjit Singh Sehra" in the 'Encyclopedia of the Antarctic'.

A brief news item has also recently appeared in the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE)'s special climate issue of their 'Down To Earth' Fortnightly journal dated December 1-15, 2008, in its news section on page 19 under the title 'Set up inland stations' in Antarctica, which can also be referred to online under the heading "Parmjit Singh Sehra".

Some lines from a recent 'Handbook on International Environmental Agreements: An Indian Perspective', published by the Centre for Environmental Law, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, in November 2006, which can be downloaded from the internet with Google search under the heading 'Parmjit Singh Sehra & Antarctica' are quoted below:

It is 242 pages book, and his reference is given in its Chapter-8 on 'India in Antarctica', Section 8.8, page 157, which reads as follows:........'The first Indian with the Antarctic spirit and the unsung hero of India's Antarctic adventure was undoubtedly Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra. Dr. Sehra participated in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971 to 1973 that led him to the distinction of being the first Indian to winter at the South Pole and circumnavigate Antarctica. For his accomplishment he was awarded the Soviet Antarctic Medal, Ribbon and a Polar Watch. His Expedition sparked interest back home in India for further exploration of the icy continent , including opening Indian Antarctic base in Antarctica'.......

He has also worked as a Consultant in Atmospheric Studies related to Climate Modelling at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), Goddard Space Flight Centre (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), New York, USA, with Prof. James E. Hansen, whose name often flashes on the TV channels in connection with Climate Change and Global Warming, etc., and whose research team's work had helped Mr. Al Gore, the former Vice President of the USA to win the Nobel Peace Prize recently.

He has discovered sudden stratospheric and mesospheric warmings and coolings in Antarctica first of all in the world, and his findings were published in the paper entitled 'Upper atmospheric thermal structure in Antarctica', Nature, Vol. 254, No. 5499, pp. 401-404, April 3, 1975, etc. This discovery was later claimed by some NASA/USA scientists in 2005, but the Editor of the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences in which their work was published has admitted this mistake and apologised. It will be hopefully resolved in due course of time.

Two more Antarctic papers 'First Indian at the South Pole' and 'Exploration of Antarctica' were also recently published in 'School Science' - Quarterly Journal of Science Education, Vol. 44, Nos. 2 & 3, June & September 2006, of the National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT), Government of India, which is circulated to all the Secondary Schools in India and abroad. This is done for giving inspiration to all the students and teachers from the school level itself because it is a historical achievement. These articles can be referred to online with Google sdearch under the name "P. S. Sehra".

He has also worked at the Department of Atmospheric Physics, Meteorology & Environment Science, Faculty of Science, Al-Fateh University, Tripoli, Libya for almost a decade during 1982-1991, and helped in establishing this new Department there. After that he joined the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in Geneva, Switzerland, as a WMO/UN Expert, and conducted an advanced WMO Training Programme at the Department of Meteorological Services in Harare, Zimbabwe. He has also earlier worked at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, and at the Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics & Climatology in the Academy of Athens, Greece, etc.

On 7th June 2007, a foreign TV channel, viz., the 'Channel Punjab' made a special TV documentary film on 'Achievements and Accomplishments of Dr. Parmjit Singh Sehra, the first ever Indian to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent' which was telecast in its 'Tadke Tadke/Morning' Programme all over the world on 30th June 2007 with repeated telecasts for about six times thereafter and in 2008 and 2009 also. According to the Director of this TV programme, they got lot of positive response to this special TV programme due to which they repeated its telecast several times.

Primary and Secondary education from our nearby village schools, viz., Government Primary School, Bhana - Mangarh, and Khalsa Higher Secondary School, Garhdiwala in District Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India.B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and English from the D.A.V. College, Jalandhar, Panjab University, with top position, in 1967.M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Allahabad, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India in first division and high rank, in 1969.Ph.D. in Science (Applied/Space Physics - Atmospheric Physics & Environment Science) from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL)/Gujarat University, Ahmedabad-380009, India, in 1977.

Won the highest National Science Talent Search Scholarship of the Department of Science Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Government of India, in 1964, which continued from the higher Secondary stage upto the completion of my Ph.D. degree.

Throughout first class academic career with high ranks, top positions, and Merit & National Scholarships in the Universities.

1971-1973: Project Scientist, 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition, and the first ever Indian to winter over the South Pole and circumnavigate and explore the Antarctic continent, and the only Indian recipient of the prestigious Soviet Antarctic Medal, Ribbon & Polar Watch, which is a unique historical achievement.

1991-1994, and onwards: WMO/UN Expert in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), United Nations Organization (UNO), Geneva, Switzerland, for conducting an advanced WMO Training Programme at the Department of Meteorological Services in Harare, Zimbabwe, under the Finnish International Development Agency (FINIDA), the Southern African Transport and Communication Commission (SATCC), and the WMO/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Also awarded the prestigious Soviet Antarctic Award, Medal, Ribbon & Polar Watch, and the Government of India Antarctic Award and Certificate of Excellence, and the India International Friendship Society (IIFS) 's coveted Vijay Shree Award and Certificate of Excellence, etc.

Has published about 500 pure scientific & technical papers, and popular extension papers and reports in reputed international scientific journals, and magazines, such as Nature & JGR, etc., with several feature articles and radio/TV interviews.